Andermatt, once a sleepy army town in the Swiss Alps, is being transformed into a luxury year-round resort destination under the guidance of Egyptian-born billionaire Samih Sawiris. The jewel in the project’s crown - and the first European launch for Singapore-based GHM Hotels - the Chedi Andermatt fuses chalet-chic and Asian cool. Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, head of Kuala Lumpur architecture firm Denniston, the resort mixes traditional chalet vernacular with Gathy’s modern symmetrical ethos, using plenty of wood and stone. Tokyo-based design firm Spin Studio brings its upscale Asian style to the hotel’s fine dining and tempura-and-sushi restaurants. But the biggest indulgence is the 2,400 sq m spa, with its 35-metre pool and no fewer than eight fireplaces to warm guests after a day on the slopes. Winter sport enthusiasts get their own ’ski butlers’ in stand-by, and next summer a golf course will meander through the meadow.
